Have you ever been to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge? Well, Disney really wants you to go, and if you haven’t been convinced yet, Marvel released a comic just for you: Star Wars: Echoes of the Empire.
This five-issue comic series is written by Ethan Sacks, known for the 2019 Galaxy’s Edge tie-in comic. The artwork features Roi Mecado and Jethro Morales, with colors by Rachelle Rosenberg and lettering from Clayton Cowles. Its first issue came out this week and attempts to bring together multiple Star Wars eras in the most cohesive way possible (with plenty of flashbacks and flashforwards). Yet, regardless of the era each comic panel is dedicated to, one thing is abundantly clear: the goal is to stoke up your excitement for Galaxy’s Edge’s main location: Black Spire Outpost on the Outer Rim planet, Batuu.
Since it opened, Galaxy’s Edge has included various characters from a galaxy far, far away walking around and speaking to guests, but most of them have been sequel-era based, like Rey and Kylo Ren. However, on April 29, Galaxy’s Edge will introduce characters from the original trilogy, such as Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, and Darth Vader. Considering the original pitch was about having a land where you, the visitor, would fit into this unique, cohesive Star Wars story set in the sequel era, this feels like Disney throwing in the towel on immersive storytelling, more like blatant pleading for fans to spend money and visit Star Wars’ most expensive shopping mall.
Echoes of the Empire feels no different. Its first issue alternates between the present, where Rey is seeking answers at Oga’s Cantina on Batuu; and the past, where Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Chewbacca search for intel on a dangerous relic (also on Batuu). Sacks’s attempt to weave an interconnected story across multiple eras deserves applause, but so much of it gets bogged down by cameos from Black Spire Outpost glup shittos that the narrative slows down to a crawl.
The biggest time sink is spent with Oga Garra, a Blutopian crime lord who narrates to Rey the past events of Luke, Leia, and Chewie’s visit to Batuu. In Galaxy’s Edge, Oga’s Cantina is a restaurant where visitors can eat, drink, and watch performances. However, it isn’t just Oga who gets her time to shine; Dok-Ondar and his Den of Antiquities, a gift shop in Galaxy’s Edge, also make a brief appearance.
New characters are introduced, too, such as former Clone Troopers Stacks and Farmer, but even these feel less like potential new characters and stories and more like an effort to highlight the easy, casual atmosphere required of a theme park area like Black Spire Outpost. None of them really contribute anything outside a few quips here and there, often to highlight the ‘real’ heroes like Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca. While that could change in the next few issues, right now these characters read more like advertisements than as characters with any depth.
A criticism that has dogged Star Wars is that, even though the galaxy is so expansive, its recurring characters have made the franchise feel small. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the original trilogy characters making their way to Black Spire Outpost, but knowing they’re there in Echoes of the Empire to explain why they’ll appear in Galaxy’s Edge IRL — despite the theme park’s original premise — makes it hard not to see the comic’s arrival as less of an original story and more of a desperate plea.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Echoes of the Empire #1 is now available for purchase at your local comic store.